I Told You I Don't Dance!
by ArtificialRoses
Summary: When Esmeralda refuses to dance at the Feast of Fools because of her newborn baby, Clopin is at his wits end, until he finds someone to fill in for her. But, he might have chosen possibly the worst person to do the job. Oneshot


**A/N: This is a oneshot, or more of a preview, of a story I plan on writing after I finish When I Walk With You. I wrote this on the span of about five hours because I had to go to my grandmother's house and I wanted to finish it before I went, so it might not be as good as my other work. But, I had so much fun writing it and I hope you have fun reading it.**

**Oh, and Nadia is my OC.**

"I have a newborn baby, Clopin! You can't _really_ expect me to dance!"

"But, you dance every year in the Feast of Fools!"

"Well, not this year!"

Nadia could hear the bickering from outside of the Gypsy King's tent. She frowned and made a sound of irritation. The fighting has been going on for the past ten minutes and it was starting to grate on her nerves, along with any gypsy passing by, shooting displeased looks at the source. _This HAS to stop._ And with that final thought, the young woman threw back the colorful thick fabric that served as a door and stomped into the room. Unfortunately for them, the two gypsies didn't notice her angry form, too immersed in their own squabble.

Seeing that she didn't receive their attention, Nadia inhaled deeply, then bellowed, "SHUT IT!"

The two guilty culprits jumped in surprise and jerked their heads toward her, eyebrows shot skyward. The man was the first to react, a vexed expression mixed with slight confusion, "Nadia! What do you think you're doing?"

She pointed an accusing finger at them, "You two are driving everyone insane with your incessant fighting! Especially _me_!"

Clopin threw his hands, gesturing at the other woman, who had her arms crossed furiously in front of her, "I've been _trying _to tell Esmeralda that she needs to dance for the Feast of Fools, but she's being so stubborn!"

Esmeralda uncrossed her arms, "I've _told_ you: I just _had a baby_ three weeks ago. I'm not ready to dance yet." She spoke to him with great articulation as if she were trying to explain to a fussy child what they did wrong. And she basically was.

"Oh, come on! You look great!"

Nadia scratched her cheek with a furrowed brow, "Uh, I don't think that's what she meant, Clopin." She shrugged in finality, "Look, I have to agree with Esmeralda. She has a child to take care of. Dancing for a festival is probably the last thing she should be worrying about."

"Maybe you should just cancel of festival altogether. It's obvious who the King of Fools is!" Esmeralda jabbed.

"B-but I need a dancer! Her performance receives the most income!" The Gypsy King paced around the room frantically, rambling mostly to himself.

"You're impossible!" The new mother moaned.

"Why don't you just find another girl to dance?" suggested Nadia with a tired sigh.

That silenced Clopin's tirade and stopped him in his tracks. He looked as though he was graced with an epiphany beyond his comprehension. _Eh…really? He hasn't thought of this before? _"Maybe… just _maybe_… that could work…but who to pick…hmm…" He began to pace again, stroking his dark goatee in deep thought. Nadia and Esmeralda glanced sideways at each other, becoming the bystanders of the man's pondering. "It needs to be someone with great beauty, confidence, flair…"

He paused, eyes growing wide as he snapped his head to look at Nadia. Her stomach dropped seeing a smile grow on his face. "My dear Nadia," Somehow he slipped behind her, his slender hands resting on her shoulders. "How would you like to take Esmeralda's place?"

Her mouth hung agape and she attempted to crane her neck to see him, only hitting him in the face with her mass of dark curls. "What!? You can't be serious! I don't dance! At _all_!"

The sly king appeared in front of her again, "It's easy! All you have to do is be seductive, and the outfit will help with that!"

The girl waved her hands in front of her, her voice becoming anxious as Clopin began to push her out of the tent, "No, no, no, no! I-I'm not seductive or flirtatious o-or any of that! I'm a fighter, not a dancer! You don't know what you're doing!"

"Nonsense! You'll be amazing, as usual! See you at the festival tomorrow!" With one final push, Clopin pushed her out the door, sending her stumbling in shock. She made a noise in disbelief, sending a terrifying glare at the vibrant tent, "You're going to pay for this!"

-oOo-

Nadia heard a soft knock on the wooden frame that formed the tent she resided. "Yoo-hoo! Ma chère!" A sing-song voice emanated from outside, one she knew too well. She groaned, "Come in."

The deep green curtain was thrust back as a man in a jaunty ensemble stepped in, the bells on his jester shoes jingled cheerfully. "I have your outfit! Now, hurry. Put it on." He bounced around excitedly. Nadia eyed it with suspicion before grabbing the fabric and holding out in front her. She gasped in dismay. She knew she shouldn't be surprised, but… "Clopin, what is this?"

"What do you mean? It's your outfit!"

"But, half of it is missing!" She stuck her hand through the top half where the back was supposed to be and wiggled it in demonstration.

"You'll look fantastic! Now, put it on." He repeated, staring at her in anticipation.

"Well, I can't with you just standing there. Go away." Nadia made a shooing motion with her hand.

Clopin shook his head and laughed nervously, backing out of the tent, "O-oh, right. Of course."

Nadia looked at the dancing outfit with all its glitter and fake coins sewn into it and sighed.

-oOo-

Clopin smiled widely as the finished act was ushered off the stage, the roaring of the crowd fueling him with confidence. So many smiling faces, so much laughter. How could anyone _not _love it? "Wasn't that magnificent, everyone?" he walked with a prideful gait to the center of the stage, "Now, we have a special performance for you today." The king spread his arms wide above him, "Become enraptured by our exotic sunset, Nadia!"

The crowd flinched from the flash of yellow light, where Clopin had disappeared. Their eyes (specifically the men's) widened. Upon that wooden platform, a woman stood, the orange glint of her sultry dress accentuating her hips that moved side to side slowly. Her tanned skin was dusted with gold colored glitter and her usual wild raven locks had been tamed.

Clopin's mouth hung agape as a wild redness crept up his face. Luckily, his mask covered it. "Wow, who knew she had it in her?" A fellow gypsy man exclaimed, smiling at the display. The audience already started tossing coins onto the stage, along with a few wolf whistles. Nadia made eye contact with the gypsy king, and smirked. Wait a minute. He knew that look.

And it usually wasn't good.

To his complete and utter horror, her subtle, yet effective hip swaying, quickly became awkward and jerky movements, basically flinging her legs about the platform and completely ignoring the beat and meter of the music, which became a ridiculous and upbeat tune. His hands found his hair and he began pulling at it, "WHAT IS SHE _DOING_?" The 'dancer' gave a toothy grin as she bobbed her head to the song.

The same man who was admiring her just moments before laughed loudly, slapping his knee, "Now _there's_ the Nadia we know!"

Just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, it _did_. Her 'dancing'-if he could call it that- became more exaggerated. She must have been doing it deliberately. No one can be _that _badly…

Now noticing the complete silence from the audience, Clopin made a worried sound, frantically looking back and forth from the shocked people to the terrible spectacle on stage. All he wanted to do was to rip her off the stage.

But it was too late. The damage had been done.

"Go, Nadia!"

Clopin peered at the crowd to see where the source of the cheering was coming from. Then he saw her. _Esmeralda!_ Before he could react, the rest of the audience gradually began to join, money galore raining onto the stage.

Laughing. Hooting. The gypsy king watched in awe, unbeknownst that a smile was creeping onto his face. _People are actually enjoying it!_ _Even though_ _she's making a-_

Ohh… He smirked cunningly. Perfect. He knew _just _what to do.

Once the escapade was over, Clopin hopped onto the stage, where Nadia was bowing, face flushed from the exertion. He put a hand on the small of her back, "How'd you like that, ladies and gentlemen?" The crowd shouted jovially, loud laughter still rumbling amongst them (though a few men were disappointed the beautiful woman wasn't provocative). "How about another round of applause for Nadia!" They complied enthusiastically, which drew a chuckle from Clopin.

"I told you I don't dance." The woman next to him said from the side of her mouth, continuing to wave at the crowd.

"Yes, I saw that." He whispered back, then directed his voice to the crowd, "Now, my friends, it's finally the time you've all been waiting for! THE CROWNING OF THE KING OF FOOLS!" Nadia made a move to leave the stage, but was stopped when Clopin's long fingers wrapped around her forearm, "Ah, ah, ah! Esmeralda always helps me crown the king." She groaned in response.

"Of course we remember last year's fool!" He gestured to a rather tall and gangly young man waving energetically at the audience on top of a sturdy litter. "But, now it's time for a new fool to be crowned! Just remember to make a face that's terrifying and hideous. Most of you shouldn't have a problem with that!" Another round of laughter from the audience.

A throng of men stepped onto the stage. One after another Nadia ripped off their gnarly masks, each baring the most atrocious expression they could muster, each being booted off when the crowd jeered at them. The people were left in slight confusion when no competitor was left. How could there be a winner now?

With a feigned displeased expression, Clopin rubbed his chin, pretending to think, "Hmm. It seems as though none of them were very good. But who will be our Fool?" He asked everyone. His eyebrows lifted upward as he raised a finger in the air, "_I_ know! How about instead of a _King,_ we choose a _Queen_? And who better than this lovely lady right here, with her _riveting _performance?"

Clopin intertwined his fingers with Nadia's before she could attempt to escape or-more likely- punch him. "Ladies and gentlemen! May I present our _first ever_ Queen of Fools: Mademoiselle Nadia Beauchene!" At her name, the gypsy king thrust their woven hands above their heads in victory. He laughed at her warmly when he saw an out of character blush on her cheeks from the swell of praise. Once he was handed the outlandish 'crown' and had placed it on her head, Nadia snapped out of her stupor. She wore her signature smile as she bowed deeply to the crowd once again.

Nadia turned to Clopin, the grin still on her face, "Even though this crown is for fools, I'm going to take it. Thank you."

"Ah, don't mention it. It's perfect for you, anyway." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and planted a kiss on her cheek.

Nadia punched his arm, but her smile widened. "Oh, shut up."


End file.
